Compensating hinge structure for automobile hoods or the like



Jam 1940- A. CLAUD-MANTLE 2,185,214

CQMPENSATING HINGE STRUCTURE FOR AUTOMOBILE HOODS OR THE LIKE Filed Jan. 1'7, 1938 INVENTOR ARTHUR ELAun-MANTLB.

Y 7 ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 2, 1940 UNITED STATES comrnnsumc nmon smuc'runnaron AUTOMOBILE noons on m m Arthur Gland-Mantle, Trumbull, Com, assignmto The Basic! Company, Bridgeport, Conn, a corporation 0! Connecticut Appllcatlonlanuary 17, 1938, Serial No. 185,459

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to a compensating hinge structure for automobile hoods or the like, and particularly hoods of the so-called alligator type which are hinged at their rearward ends and are held in closed position by the hood catch at the forward end. In hoods of this type the edges of the cowl and the hood are usually curved forwardly from the .vertical side edges toward the center of the top, and in swinging the hood into open position it is important that the rearward edge of the hood have a movement forwardly and upwardly with respect to the forward edge of the cowl so that it will clear the cowl during the opening movement and there will be no chance of marring the finish. To this end it is an object of the invention to provide means which will cause the rearward edge of the hood to describe a predetermined and differential path.

A further object of the invention is to provide compensating hinge means which will eifectually retain the hood in closed position under spring pressure, maintaining the hood tightly in relation to the side closure structure of the engine compartment against looseness and vibration, and which will permit the hoodto be raised with facility. In particular it is proposed to provide hinge means consisting of a pair of links, one being shorter than the other whereby the rearward end of the hood is adapted to be moved in a predetermined path and spring means connected to the shorter link in such manner as to normally retain the hood closed, to offer only slight resistance to opening the hood as the initial opening pressure is applied, which will assist in moving the hood to open position after the opening movement has been manually started, and which in the open position of the hood will effectually support it against accidental closing. a

With the above and other objects in view, an embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, and this embodiment will be hereinafter more fully described with reference thereto, and the invention will be finally pointed out in the claim.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a portion of the engine compartment and cowl and the rearward portion of the hood, the latter being partially broken away to show the hinge at one side of the hood.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation similar to Fig. 1, and showing the hood in its open position.

Similar reference characters indicate correspending parts throughout the several figures of I the drawing.

Referring to the drawing, the hinge structure according to the invention is adapted to be employed in connection with an alligator type hood for enclosing an engine compartment having fixed sides "I, provided at each of their upper edges with an inwardly bent ledge flange ll disposed horizontally and upon which the respective lower edge of the hood at each side is adapted to seat in closed position, and a cowl l2, the upper portion of which extends over the rearward portion of the engine compartment and has its forward edge l3 curved forwardly toward the center line of the hood. The hood I4 is provided at each of its lower edges with an inwardly bent flange 15 to which a resilient sealing strip I6 is secured, and which strips are adapted to seat upon the ledges ll of the sides I, the rearward edge I! of the hood being shaped to conform to the edge 13 of the cowl, so that in the closed position the hood is, substantially continuous with the cowl surface. Within the rearward part of the engine compartment an inner cowl structure [8 is provided, the side walls of which are inwardly spaced from the sides Ill and the upper wall of which is downwardly spaced from the upper portion of the cowl l2 and the hood.

The hinge structures, according to the invention are mounted upon the side walls of the inner cowl structure l8 and are connected to the hood at each side, these hinge structures at each side being of identical construction but in reverse relation to each other. For the sake of clearness of illustration and description, therefore, only the hinge structure at one side is shown.

It will be noted that the spaces between the inner cowl structure l8 and the sides 10, within which the hinge structures are located converge forwardly, and as the hood must swing about horizontal hinge axes aligned with each other at each side of the hood the mounting means for the hinge structure is of stepped ofi'set form to provide longitudinally spaced bearing portions disposed in vertical planes at right angles to such axes.

The mounting bracket [9 which is secured to the cowl structure It! by bolts 20 engaged in horizontal slots 2| in the bracket is provided at its forward end with an outwardly ofiset upwardly projecting pivot supporting portion 22, bent at an angle to the main portion of the bracket into a vertical plane at right angles to the hinge axes, and is provided at its rearward end with an outwardly oifset pivot supporting portion 23, also disposed in a vertical plane at right angles to the hinge axes. A downwardly projecting arm 24 is provided at the forward end of the bracket IE to which the spring is secured at one end, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

A link member is pivotally mounted at one end for slight longitudinal movement upon the bearing portion 25*, disposed in a vertical plane-'-' at right angles to the hinge axes, and" in which portion 25 the pivot pin 23 is provided, and an end portion 25 also disposed in a plane, at right angles to the hinge axes, this end being connected by a pivot pin 28 to the bracket 29 which is connected to the hood, this bracket havinga base flange 30 which is welded, riveted, or otherwise suitably secured to the inwardly bent flange |5 of the hood. The wall of the bracket extends in a generally diagonal direction in alignment with the space between the cowl I8 and the wall I0, and is provided with bearing portions 29 and 29 disposed in vertical planes at right angles to the hinge axes, the pivot pin 28 connecting the end of the link member 25 being engaged in the bearing portion 29.

To the rearwardly disposed bearing portion 23 of the bracket l9 one end of a link member 3| is pivotally connected by means of a pivot pin 32, the other end being connected to the bearing portion 29 of the bracket 29 by means of a pivot pin 33. This pivot pin 33 is in the form of a flanged stud and has the hooked end 34 of the rod extension 35 of a helical spring 36 connected thereto, the other hooked end 31 of this spring being connected to a stud 38 secured to the lower end of the arm 24. I The rod portion 35 of the spring extends through a slot 39 in the flange 30 of the bracket 29. The link member 3| is disposed in a generally diagonal direction in line with the space between the walls It and Ill, and

is bent ,to provide bearing portions 3| and 3| disposed in vertical planes at right angles to the hinge axes, which bearing portions are connected to the respective bearing portions 23 of the bracket l9 and 23 of the bracket 29.

A stop lug 40 is provided upon the upper edge of the bracket l9 to be engaged by the link member 3| to limit the open position of the hood.

It will be noted that the pivot pin 25 is in a plane above the plane of the pivot pin 32 and that the length of the link member 25 between the pivot pin 26 and the pivot pin 28 is greater than the link member 3| between the pivot pin 32 and the pivot pin 33. These points are predetermined to cause the rear edge of the hood as it is raised to move forwardly away from the edge l3, the lower ends of the edge I! moving forwardly and upwardly in a relatively low angle outside arc and the central upper portion of the edge moving first forwardly and upwardly and then slightly rearwardly in a relatively high angle inside arc.

In the closed position of the hood, as seen in Fig. 1, when the link member 3| is at a relatively low angle the pivot pin 32 is relatively close to the force line of the spring and the spring is at its maximum extension so that a maximum force is exerted upon the link member 3| in clockwise direction to retain the rearward end of the hood closed, the full spring energy being exerted upon the rear end of the hood. At the same time the front of the hood is free to move up and down, the slot 21 engaged by the pin 26 permitting the hood slight. irregularities.

to move slightly about therearward end of the hood engaged with the flange I5 is a fulcrum, so that a firm seating of the hood along its entire length at both sides is insured, irrespective of It is'understood that the front end of the hood is secured by the hood catch.

' In order to open the hood the forward end is swung upwardly causing the link members 25 and 3| to swing forwardly in counterclockwise direction. As the hood reaches a point where the force line of the spring moves over the dead center of the pivot pin 32 the force of the spring moves the hood to open position bringing the link member -3| against the stop 40 where the hood is held in open position. In this open position the bracket 39 between the pivot points 28 and 33 and the link member 3| are in position where the spring energy is exerted in the most advantageous manher so that the full force of the spring is utilized to hold the hood up. To close the hood it is only necessary to pull it downwardly sufiiciently to swing the force line of the spring to the other side of the dead center of the pivot pin 32 whereupon the hood is drawn to closed position under the pull of the spring. I have illustrated and described a preferred and satisfactory embodiment of the invention, but it will be understood that changes may be made therein within the spirit and scope thereof a defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

' A hinge structure for an automobile hood or the like, comprising a supporting bracket adapted to be secured to a'fixed part, a swinging bracket adapted to be secured to the hood. the hood adapted to seat against said fixed part in closed position, a pair of link members longitudinally spaced with respect to the hood pivotally mounted upon said supporting bracket at longitudinally spaced points and pivotally connected to said hood bracket at longitudinally spaced points, the rearward link member being shorter than the forward link member whereby diflerential swinging movement is imparted to the forward and rear ends of said swinging bracket, the pivotal mounting of said rearward link member upon said supporting bracket being a fixed mounting, and the pivotal mounting of said forward link member upon said supporting bracket being a floating pin and slot connection, whereby said hood has a limited swinging movement with respect to said floating pin and slot connection about its rearward end seated upon said fixed part as a fulcrum, spring means connected between said rearward link member at a point spaced from its pivotal mounting upon said supporting bracket and at a point on said supporting bracket forwardly and downwardly spaced from said pivotal mounting of said rearward link member normally rotating said rearward link member in hood closing direction through force exerted in a line at one side of said pivotal mounting of said rearward link member and adapted in the open position of the hood to exert a force at the other side of said pivotal mounting of said rearward 

